Death's Hatchling
by ReaperOfLostSouls
Summary: The death of a sibling is a harsh reality, but when that sibling is a twin it's even harder. Lilliana Byrne must live with the reality that she caused her brother's demise, but what can she do once she realizes she's more than what she's always believed? Before main canon. Adult themes. Possible UndertakerXReader. M to be safe
1. Prologue

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

 **A/N: Hey guys! Long time no see! So I've actually been writing a lot, but never had the heart to post anything I've written. For a while I've been wondering what I should post, and this new story I started came into mind. It's about twins with a horrid past, which catches up to them even in death. I don't know how far I'll write with this, but I wrote five chapters, six if you count this first chapter, and my new idea interests me. I hope you guys enjoy this and I'm sorry for not posting anything for a while. I just haven't finished anything! Plus I've been in a pokemon mood lately, but I'm back into writing black butler and reading black butler fanfics. Though I notice there's not a lot of good Undertaker stories that are being written. That's depressing… since I get my inspiration from reading other people and feeling inspired to write myself. Whatever, I suppose. Anyways, enjoy the story! I'll post the next chapter in a few more hours, probably!**

! #$%^ &*()

It is unusual for twins to be born, both surviving a birth that caused their mother to die. It is even more astounding for both of these twins to die at the same time, for the same causes, waking up as newborn shinigamis, identical as the day they had been grown in the womb. While they could not remember their own deaths they were able to stay together, to keep their old names, to know and understand they are twins, but… it seems there is a constant reminder that they are both separate beings, perhaps identical physically, but spiritually they are certainly two different persons with two different personalities.

"Alex. Do you seriously have to go out with your friends? Can't you stay home for a while so we can chat?"

"Sorry sis, but this is a school thing."

"Why can't I go with you?!" the girl snorted, grumbling under her breath while she crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean, I could always dress up as you, cut my hair, act like you so I can experience what us grim reapers are supposed to be doing."

" _Lilliana~_ –"

"I'm serious. Staying here at this house doing nothing is boring! Plus… I feel like I'm not completing something in my life… and I don't want to become those hags walking around the realm with that bored, indifferent look on their faces," she huffed and he gave her a gentle smile.

The boy named Alexander, who now seemed a tad taller than his sister, walked up to his sister and gave her a gentle hug. "… I get it. I wouldn't want to be a woman either… Well actually I wouldn't mind not having to work, but I have to. Besides," he chuckled, letting her go slightly to look at her with a grin, "since we're siblings, actual siblings that have ended up in the same afterlife, we can live together. I can go out and work and you can stay here and… find out what you really want to do with your long life."

"But I want to be an officer," she snorted, grumbling while her head was forced against his shoulder, her back curving slightly so she could fit against him easily. "I want to do what you do. Can we switch places? If even for a moment… I just… feel like I'm **supposed** to be an officer. I'm supposed to reap souls. It's a stupid rule that females can't be officers and must stay in the realm. I thought we were better than humans, for crying out loud!"

"I know!" he chuckled, letting go slightly and patting her on the head, a huff leaving her breath as he did, "but that's just the way things are. It's best not to try to fight society… I think there are other sects that actually let female reapers become officers. We can transfer there if you'd like… once I actually become an officer, that is."

"Well… I guess that's fine," she smiled, nudging him in the shoulder as the two of them parted, both of them wearing identical grins as she did so, "but you have to make me a promise that you won't make me become something I'm not."

"I promise!" he chuckled, the two of them wrapping their pinkies together, forming their unbreakable bound, "If you promise the same thing to me."

"Promise!" she giggled, happily letting his pinky go and watching her only relative leave the house, or rather the apartment the two of them were allowed to share while he got the schooling he was required to take while she stayed in the apartment, bored out of her skull. With a tired sigh she went back to reading one of his textbooks, finding the information rather hard to swallow. It's not like she didn't recognize and understand death, but… the way it was described… It's just supposed to be a job? Really? No emotions whatsoever? Makes no sense! There should be something there! How can you show mercy and compassion without emotions? Why must almost every human die, instantly? Why can't there be more 'special' cases, as the term is? It made no sense to her, but… she supposed that's just how it is, right?


	2. The New Mister Byrne

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

 **A/N: Okay! Here's the first official chapter, like promised! I'll be working tomorrow so we'll see if I post up the next chapter, but I'm certainly going to try to keep writing this story. I'll be leaving on a trip in a couple of weeks, but by then I should have some chapters up. This story gets depressing, fast, and the fact that shinigamis are created through suicide is certainly in this story. I don't know if I'll change how Undertaker acts in this story, if it'll follow the manga timeline, but since this is before the main canon it'll take its own turn. Just if I make it to the actual Kuorshitsuji timeline I don't know if I'll have Undertaker as a zombie creator or not… We'll see. We still have a lot of story to cover. I'll say sorry now for the long winded parts of the story. I tend to monologue too much. That's just how I write. Well… ENJOY! If you guys like this story or have suggestions for future conflicts go ahead and comment. I don't mind hearing suggestions and I'll try to write back to you guys as soon as possible.**

! #$%^ &*()

You stared at yourself in the mirror, your eyes growing darker and darker as you stared at your naked image: your growing lumps, your delicate hands, your silky, long strange hair, the paleness of your skin. You were the perfect image of a woman, you supposed, a young ripe maiden waiting to be plucked. However everything felt so… fleeting. Nothing could stay the same; not forever. You stared at the scissors lying on the counter of the sink, pondering what you were planning on doing.

Of course a shinigami couldn't quite kill themselves with basic blades and sharp objects. It took more to take down an already dead human, and you were no different. Your intentions weren't to kill yourself, though you've certainly had a few bright ideas to do so, but you were killing off a part of yourself that you've clung to for ages. Your timid, good for nothing child, the prefect pretty young woman who listens to everything, who never complains, who does what she's told. That idea of always obeying followed you into this hell of an afterlife, but now… you had a chance to change that. You could become someone better, someone different.

You sighed. The curator in charge of the funeral could always be informed by yours truly that the one that had died was a female, not a male, but… he was kind enough to let you do this. You wanted to do this. You just… weren't sure if you should go through with it. To change who you are so you can feel accepted, feel whole. Is it right for you to kill off one part of yourself to satisfy another?

"… I guess in a way this is commemorating him," you spoke to yourself while you picked up the scissors, your hair still dripping from the shower you just took as you pondered the possibilities of the plan both working and falling apart at the seams. "Alex did say he would rather switch places with me after… realizing everything that was to come. I should have been the one to die," you thought aloud while you stared at the blade, wondering if perhaps you could actually kill yourself, but once again you were painfully reminded that you are a death bringer, a grim reaper, a creature that simply cannot die unless Death itself lets you pass on. You're not so petty as to search for demons or angels to kill you, you're too prideful for that, but you wanted everything to end… and in a way this is ending your own life, you suppose.

Taking on the form of your deceased brother; living the life he cannot. At least in this way you can find a reason to keep living, to move forward. As this woman that you are… that's just not possible. You might as well throw yourself into a coma if you stay this pathetic girl for the rest of your eternal life.

So you reached up, your hands trembling slightly as you pulled back your long hair into a ponytail, your eyes staring into the mirror one last time. As time went on your eyes developed a strange golden glow that no other grim reaper seems to have, but your long bangs kept that odd hue from view. You kept your hair long just to stay hidden, but your brother had short hair. Messy hair, but it was still short. You opened the scissors. You could always turn back, you supposed. You didn't have to do this, but… it would be easiest this way. The dispatch would never let a woman into their ranks, never let a female like you become an officer, your dream. When you awoken you thought perhaps you could finally have a place to belong, a place where everyone was in the same boat, but… no. No, you were stuck listening to the crummy rules that women seem to have to listen to. No matter where you seem to go this stays the same. It's always the same… and you're sick of it.

You could hear the slice as your scissors began to cut through your long beautiful hair. The stray hairs fell to the ground around you, your free hand clutching the long strands until the blades reached the other side of your head. You let out a tired sigh, holding out the clump of hair and discarding the hairs into the waste basket beside you. You looked at yourself once again, pondering your decision.

You smirked. You couldn't help yourself. This was a travesty, but now you had a chance to be someone so much better than you are. After all Alexander is your older brother. He's the person you've always wished to be. He got so many privileges in his life while you were stuck with scraps. This way Lilliana Byrne did die. She is no more. Instead she will be replaced with Alexander Byrne, a twin that has recently lost his darling little sister.

You spent time styling your hair. It was quite hard considering you had to remember what your brother looks like. Over time you can change this style, but you certainly have to look like him, at first. Your hair was a strange color of jet black and dark royal purple. No one truly notices the purple unless you're standing out in the sunlight, but your hair follicles are indeed purple, looking quite dark and black in a distance. Your bangs were now cut short, but still messy, your hair now short against your neck and still quite messy. It was fine. You just lost a sibling. You weren't exactly expected to be fully presentable by combing through your hair and straightening out the sharp cuts and messy style. You weren't a barber after all. This was kind of difficult to get everything exactly right.

You combed through your hair to get rid of the stray strands, wetting your already damp hair to help ease the cut hair off of your head. Then you moved on. You bound your breasts to your chest with some cloth, careful not to make it too tight, and thought to yourself this is like putting on a corset, except you're not trying to push your boobs up and instead press them closer to your body. You used a towel to dry your hair like your brother always did and went on to the rest of the clothing.

Your brother may have been differently proportioned, since he was male, but if he was female he would have been exactly like you. His clothing was only a tad too big, only a centimeter here and there, the clothes fitting you quite well, you had to admit. You put on the uniform of a student: white collared shirt and black dress pants, the black belt with white socks and black dress shoes. You grabbed his black tie, flipping up the collar and tying the cloth around your neck, skillfully getting the tie to sit against your bound chest while you popped the collar down. You slipped on his black suit coat, grabbed his circular glasses, but weren't big ass thick glasses like the new trainees have. Instead his were more rectangular, though he wasn't quite there to having thin senior glasses. Lastly you slipped on the black gloves, hiding the strange markings on your body, and looked to yourself in the mirror.

You looked exactly like your brother, the spitting image of him.

… Is it wrong to do this? Perhaps, but… you recall many times he wished you could have the same choices he has, live the life he has. This isn't wrong. You're accomplishing just that.

Besides… he wanted you to continue living. You should embrace this. This is your last testament to him, to become Alexander Byrne. You are your brother now… you are a man. You glanced down, deciding to stuff something between your pants, and then looked at the time. You had a few more moments before you had to leave… You can always quickly get dressed into some female clothes, but… no. No you won't do that. "No… I'm Alexander now. I should just accept this," you told yourself. You're killing off your female self to embrace your grim reaper self, but… is this right? You're still debating if Alex would want this, but… you might as well just go through with this. After all what can the council do if they realize you're a woman disguised as a man? Throw you in prison? Put you into a coma? Kill you? You smirked. Killing you would be best. End this long, boring life of yours. You hoped truly that they actually did that if they were ever to catch you this way.

)(*&^%$# !

You were surprised as you finally made your way to the cemetery how many reapers showed up to your brother's, or rather your funeral. Though you had to admit most of them showed up to be polite. They were students at the academy, a few teachers he must have been acquainted to, you guessed. However they were away from the actual reapers that were attending the funeral to grieve the loss of the girl named Lilliana, or rather Anna. You preferred Anna.

You must have touched more hearts than you realized. A few merchants and shop keepers you would say greetings to while you walked about town gathering groceries and other things, a couple of people you've helped, an owner of a book store you liked to go to, and probably will continue to go to, since the books are cheap and at a bargain price, and lastly the people you secretly begun to hang around, reapers your brother barely knew about. You got tired of living the life of a woman trapped in a house, only cooking and cleaning and being bored all day with nothing to do, and you found yourself embraced in a new culture, an underground culture the society wouldn't like to admit, but probably knew it was there since the council hasn't put a stop to it.

Your brother would be busy with school and over time drifted further away from actually going home. He would spend time at friends' apartments to study, perhaps other things he wouldn't want you to know, so you made a habit of leaving the apartment as well. You spent the day earning money as a waitress, of sorts, learning how to tend a bar as a bartender, and recently you actually began to dance for reapers for money, particularly men. You didn't have to strip, thank goodness, or even whore your body out to any one of them, but… it was a different change of pace, a lively change of pace, and certainly something you're going to miss doing. Your best friend was even here, a reaper older than yourself named Rosaline, who calls herself Rosa. She was weeping, her beautiful face strained with tears, her maroon rusty hair messy and covering her face. She wore all black with her signature red rose in her hair. She was everything you weren't, to be perfectly honest with yourself.

She showed you not only a way to earn your own money and become independent, but also an underground arena where you could fight other reapers. It didn't matter if they were male or female, there was no discrimination. You felt free when you fought… if it be hand-to-hand combat or sword/weapon fighting. The style and rules changed every night, but that's what made it thrilling and fun. There you could be yourself and actually do what you've felt like doing for years, be completely yourself without any boundaries. Sadly the arena was only open at night and by that time you were home, but if you knew that your brother would be out late you would go there, with Rosa, and while she didn't fight you certainly did. You had so much fun there… and now even that was over. You didn't want to turn Alexander into some fighting machine, like you had become. At least with that you did earn a little bit of money when people betted on you. It certainly wasn't much, but at least that way you felt like you were doing something with your life. You felt… whole.

However now you are Alexander Byrne. You didn't want to be Lilliana anymore. You threw that side of you away, discarded it, along with your brother's death.

"… I see that you're here, Mr. Byrne," you heard a voice from behind you and you turned to see the funeral director, Mr. Sullivan, in charge of maintaining the cemetery in the shinigami realm and making sure those that had died actually died. He was an old man with gray hair, a wrinkly face, hair slightly messy, but still slicked back, but he was another person you've come to talk to over the years and now the only one who knows you are actually a woman. You were surprised when he asked if you wanted him to put _'Lilliana'_ or _'Alexander'_ on the nameplate and you decided, uncertainly, with Lilliana. "… Would you like to do a eulogy or shall I?"

"I don't care," you spoke in a deeper tone of voice than you're used to, but then again your brother hadn't completely grown up. His voice wasn't the deepest it could become, but you acted as solemn as he would, know that over the years he's become more… serious. He's probably been influenced by everyone around him, however that sort of attitude will end soon enough, you hope.

Grim reapers, unlike humans and other living creatures, are spiritual creatures. When they die their bodies will dissolve into the air, their souls becoming released and continuing on through the afterlife. If they completed their personal missions or did all they could do they were sent onward into the land of the dead, where Father Death lived, as it's like to be called. If they did not their spirits end up in the library of their sect, lingering there until it is ready for them to pass on. The ghosts that guard the books within the library are also grim reapers, but now they have lost their free will and any real essence they once had. They become shells of their formal selves… but unless it is needed, most grim reapers are able to move on once they die.

However it's strange when a grim reaper dies suddenly. They don't die often and live for centuries at a time. You learned from Sullivan that the bodies, and souls, of the reaper linger for about a day. During that time he can examine the body and determine cause of death. You knew how Alexander died… but you wondered what the man actually said about it. After all he did lie in the forms that it was the twin Lilliana, not Alexander, who died, so he could have said other things. But the important thing is that **you** knew what happened. It didn't matter if others do. As long as they don't get in your way it'll be just fine.

)(*&^%$# !

"… Thank you for coming," you spoke in a soft, comforting tone. This isn't the first time you've acted like your brother and he you, but it's strange you have to act like him for the rest of your eternal life. "Your name is Rosaline, correct?"

"I-I… Yes I am. You're welcome," the lovely redheaded woman smiled to you happily, but then frowned as her eyes turned to the new engraving, your eyes glancing as well to the stone. Most of the reapers had left once the small funeral came to a close. After all Lilliana wasn't some big deal reaper and Alexander was just a trainee. You'd only been in this state of being for a few small years. That's not a lot of time, that's for sure, and you were surprised that anyone came at all. "… You're sister will be missed."

"Yes she will," you responded, putting your hands behind your back to keep yourself upright.

Only the names of left behind reapers that have passed away are placed all on the same stone, century after century. At the top it read _'1600 – 1700'_ and then the names of each deceased reaper was engraved in stone, in commemoration that they had lived as grim reapers, continuing their miserable lives that they had cut short themselves, from humans into reapers. The date of their _'birth'_ wasn't written, but their death was. _'1632 – Lilliana Byrne'_. A fresh new name and a fresh new date, as well. Now that you look at the names, you realized a death of a grim reaper isn't that uncommon. Perhaps being so close to death itself causes one to die. Probably. That's just what you'll assume, you suppose.

"… She was quite fond of you Rosaline," you continued to say in a kind voice. She seemed shocked by your words, but smiled happily at the thought, though it was bitter sweet. "She… talked about you often, though not in detail."

"It's best not to know the details," she chuckled lightly, rubbing the stray tears from her face, and you were surprised to notice that her makeup wasn't at all smeared. How odd… Huh. "… May I be honest Mr. Alexander?"

"Call me… Xander," you decided to say, not wanting to butcher your brother's good name.

"Okay… I… actually loved your sister very much," Rosa confessed and you turned your head slowly, looking at her a tad shocked, "and I don't mean like a sibling either," she smiled to herself. "I truly loved her. She was such a sweet girl. Full of joy the moment she found something new, always reaching for impossible things… she was a great woman. I just wished I could have told her my feelings," she finished and let out a deep sad sigh.

However her breath hitched as you wrapped an arm around her, much like your brother would do with you, and you gently rubbed her shoulder, holding her to your side while the two of you continued to stare at the names of the dead. "… I think she heard you," you decided to say and you knew she was shocked, but you said nothing else, staring solemnly at the name. You'll live for your brother, that's what you'll do. You won't let this life go to waste… and you'll try to do your best, for Alex. It's the least you can do for him. It truly is.

"… May I speak to you, Mr. Byrne?" you heard a voice, snapping you out of your thoughts, and you let go of Rosa, not even giving her a second glance to notice that she was crying once again as you walked over to the man that called your name, a higher up you reckon.

You stared at him with a calm and curious gaze, your messy locks covering parts of your eyes that your glasses didn't hide as you glanced him over. He had long silver locks, a braid in his hair, and he wore a black trench coat, certainly a higher up. Only high ranking officials can tweak their uniforms and he must be one of those reapers. Perhaps a supervisor… maybe part of the management staff, you'd have to guess. Some low grade officers do change their outfits, but the majority of reapers keep the same uniform everyone else has, in their departments, and never branch out into their own styles unless they are out in a casual setting.

"I am sorry for your loss," he decided to say; your eyes glancing back at the stone slightly before pulling your eyes away. "… It must be hard to lose a sibling like this. I was shocked to hear that relatives actually arrived to our world in such a way, at the same time as well."

"We committed suicide at the same time," you told him in a bitter tone of voice, "because… it was easier that way."

"I see. Well," he continued, ignoring your statement, you noticed, "I heard you were also out the night of his death. You had shown up in your apartment room after the event, according to some of the attendants –"

"Why are you asking?" you snapped in a harsh tone. You don't care if he's a higher up. How dare he start asking questions without telling you why he's asking.

"I'm sorry," he smirked slightly, though he didn't seem to have any sympathy, but oddly amused by your snappy reaction. "I assumed you would know this, but perhaps no one has mentioned me. I am investigating the death of your younger sister, Lilliana. You see child, grim reapers don't die easily and so early in their existence. I am here to investigate the cause and see if there is any reason for our kind to be alarmed by the incident."

"… You could have just told me that you investigating and I would have been cooperative," you responded sharply, but then your harsh eyes smothered as you glanced away, your gloved hand going into your pocket as you began to stare up at the sky, noticing the sun was starting to go down as you did. "… You wonder if I was somehow involved."

"Yes," the man spoke, "or perhaps you noticed something that no one else could have, since you are so close."

"Hmm… I spent most of my time away from the apartment, for school purposes," you stated, simply, "so if my sister had troubles with anything she didn't inform me… However," you continued in a calm tone of voice, though your hands clutched at the mere thought of the true reason of your brother's death, "she did have… nightmares of our past life. Perhaps it came back to haunt us."

"Past life?" the man asked and you turned to him, staring at him darkly.

"You're investigating my sister's death and yet you don't know of our **human** past?"

"That stays classified unless it is truly needed to solve a case such as this, but even so most reapers never remember their past humans existences, except perhaps their deaths," he stated and while you knew this, after reading your brother's freshman textbook on the matter, you still weren't sure about that statement.

"… Well… that may be so… My sister and I did not remember our deaths, our lives in particular," you began softly as you glanced back to your name written in stone, "… however over time memories came back to us. I had my own and my sister had… oh so much more. I could remember happy memories like when my father took me to his office, but my sister… had nightmares. She could not sleep for days and when she did it was always a nightmare. However if she deprived herself of sleep for too long she'd daydream and go mad… I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone else to know. She was my burden to bear… I'm responsible for whatever sort of death came to her," you spoke bitterly and he gave you a curious look, but you glanced back once you heard the familiar sounds of pen scratching against paper and you noticed he was writing in a book, a thick notebook actually. It wasn't a death list that all officers receive, changing every week to fit the to-die list that is always changing, but an actual notebook for taking notes. "… I don't know if she killed herself or if something from the past came back to kill her, but I know she was unstable," you sighed, looking away, "and I simply do not know what could have happened that night."

"Do you have an alibi for the night?"

"… No," you told him honestly. "I do not."

"I see… I'm sorry for questioning you at such a time, but I do regret your loss. It's never right for such a long lassie to die in such a way," he responded, as if he actually knew what happened.

You wondered if he actually did, but decided to leave the statement at that. You didn't want your disguise to fall so early. You still had so much time… you wanted to be free to become an officer and learn the ways of the soul reaping shinigamis. "… Before you go," you spoke, knowing he was going to take off soon enough, and you wondered why he hadn't already, "could you possibly tell me your name?"

"You don't know?" he chuckled in an amused tone, causing you to turn around, fully, and look at him seriously. "All little munchkins like yourself learn about the legends. You seriously do not know? –"

"I don't," you bluntly answered, glaring at him before shaking your head and turning away. "Don't tell me. Fine. I don't care –"

"The name is Adrian, Adrian Crevan," he spoke in a calm, yet kind sounding tone, "but I am known by most as Mr. Death. I don't go by Crevan anymore."

You looked at him curiously, watching as he seemed to be grinning widely, and you wondered if he was smirking because you were beginning to realize who he is or over the fact that you were still confused. Crevan… Crevan… Your eyes widened at a thought and his grin widened even further. "… Legendary Death. How can a mere reaper get such a title?"you snorted to yourself, a shock look appearing on his face and his grin dispersing slightly while you looked to him fully and couldn't help but let your own smirk appear on your face. "Don't get me wrong, sir. I've come to understand that legendaries are grim reapers that have accomplished much in their eternal lives and have made a name for themselves, sometimes forced upon them by others and other times it is a name they decide to call themselves. However calling just one reaper Death itself? That… is horribly strange. I'll admit that now," you told him and he smirked.

"You're an interesting lad, Mr. Byrne. I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled to himself, turning around and walking away. You noticed he walked like a shadow in the night, barely making a sound; in fact he made no sounds. As if he was hovering off of the ground or maybe he was a ghost… but either way it didn't matter. At least he couldn't see past your disguise, meaning you did it. You've become the embodiment of your brother!... Or mainly, mostly… you suppose.


	3. Answers in the Library

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

 **A/N: Hey guys! Another chapter! I would have posted this sooner, but I had work yesterday. However I got some free time today so I decided to review the next chapter! There's not much to say except I hope you enjoy this story! And I'll try to post the story as often as I can. Yet there will come a time when I run out of chapters. Just to keep in mind. I'm still writing this story and I don't know how long I'll get through this story in my head before I go on vacation. Anyways, enjoy!**

! #$%^ &*()

" _Lilliana, this is your chance. You know~ what you can do."_

" _Child, go. You can feel it in your bones, can't~ you?"_

" _You can hear us, can't you? You have clearance now. No more excuses."_

" _You must come to us."_

"Why?" you managed to mumble in your sleep, your head starting to sweat while you shivered a cold wrenching fever throughout your entire body. "W-what?... What do you mean? Why?"

" _The library."_

" _Come to the library."_

" _You must~, if you want answers, come to the library."_

You gasped as you sat up in your bed, shivering and panting while you held your sore head. You blinked, confused, your eyes glancing around the room and realizing you had woken up in your bed. At least you weren't on the floor, you supposed. "… Was that real?" you thought aloud, letting out a breath and realizing the room was freezing cold. You frowned. You read about this in Alex's textbook. Spirits and ghosts tend to make rooms cold and the stronger the soul the colder the room will become. Your room was freezing, chilling you to the bone, but… if there had been at least three different spirits there perhaps that was normal. You think?

You sighed, rubbing your head, glancing at the clock, and noticing it was about time to wake up. However you flopped your head back onto your pillow, feeling the warmth coming back to your body while you stared back up at the ceiling, trying to get your head in order. Just… what was that? What did you hear?

"Go… to the library," you mumbled in thought, though you had no reason to be so quiet anyways.

Yes… you supposed you had the awful excuse that you didn't have clearance. It truly was an excuse, but then again… not exactly. Unless you're a student at the academy, any student, or higher in rank, a mere grim reaper doesn't have permission to walk into the library freely. Your brother could use his student ID to waltz inside and say he was there to study. You, on the other hand, needed a long winded explanation while filling out some guest signup sheet, having eyes always upon you while you roamed through the bookshelves. You only did it once and you regretted it ever since. You got in trouble for going too far into the library, but… you were following a ghost. It was leading you somewhere, deep inside of the vast library.

Within the British Isles Sect was their Grand Library. There are a limited amount of large Grand Libraries in the world and not every sect had a Grand Library. Since there's now a vast amount of humans flocking to London and other parts of the isles this sect has one. They've had it for a while, apparently, but it's recently been remodeled and expanded into a Grand Library. Even the academy and the campus additions are recent. Those from this sect had to go to the main continent of Europe for their schooling, but now they can stay here and some sects even send their own students to this isle for the schooling they need. Students had access to going freely into the library for studying purposes, but while they only had free range over certain parts of the library you could still sneak about easier, now.

You sighed, running a hand through you sweaty hair, realizing it was quite short, now. You pouted, but decided you'll just have to get used to this, and you slowly scurried out of your bed, sitting lazily until your alarm began to beep, glaring at the devise and slamming your hand on the top to silence the alarm.

)(*&^%$# !

You spent most of your day at the academy. You learned quickly that you were expected to do as you were told, and if you weren't smart enough to answer a question correctly your own personal points would be deducted from you. Everyone, or rather every male, seemed tired, working hard and diligently to get good grades, their noses always in books while they studied for this exam or the next. You realized that Alex didn't seem to have any friends at all. His score was an average B score, not a B- or a B+, but simply a B. You decided you will spend your time studying, getting Alexander's grade up to at least a B+, if not an A-, by the end of the semester.

Perhaps that way no one would think the death of his beloved sister affected him. You were deeply affected by Alex's death, but not in the way most would suspect. They don't know how he died… you do. You were going to seek revenge and from what you've learned, get your brother's soul back so it can move on into the afterlife and find peace. First you had to train and strengthen your skills, gather a death scythe of your own, and gain a schedule where you can sneak away from the realm from time to time. You wanted to stay an officer; however the vengeance for your brother's death comes first. You can't move on until you do all these things, thus you must end up in Dispatch one way or another with a weapon in your hand. It'll be the tool you can use for snatching your brother back… and you will apologize. Maybe even trade places, but you will apologize that he had to die instead of you.

You sighed. This was going to be a long road. If you managed to get your grades up to an A you still had at least five years to go, if not more, before taking the final examinations. You wondered if you'd get a mentor when you are a senior. Since mentors are sometimes given a student to train, but only if the graduating class has a promising group of A students, **most** of them A students. You wanted to learn all you could about this new supernatural world of yours… and you supposed, after all the research you've made on your own, it'll be best to make your way into the library… even if the idea of coming across the spirits in your dreams frightened you to the core. You still had to do it and move on. Just… push forward and move on.

"Hey Alex," you heard a voice speak to you and you turned, seeing a boy with brown hair, yellow streaks in his hair that was obviously dyed in, and he wore the same glasses as yourself. Was he a friend or something your brother knew? "Are classes are over. Want to hang out?"

You blinked a few times before giving him a meek smile. "I… actually don't."

"It's alright," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I heard you lost your sister this week. I didn't even realize you had one."

"I do – did," you quickly stated, looking as solemn as possible. "… We died at the same time."

"Seriously?" he gasped, looking at you wide eyed. "Why? Did you two commit suicide at the same time? –"

"Yes we did," you bluntly answered him; about the leave the question at just that while you stared down the white hallway, too white in your opinion. You hated how everything seemed so… white. As if there is anything _pure~_ about this place, this place of death. "… We committed suicide together to… escape a problem."

"What sort of problem? –"

"I don't remember. It's something I can't recall. Now," you spoke roughly, "I'm going to the library to study, if you don't mind." He blinked his eyes, confused as you walked past him in a swift and rough manner, but didn't run after you and just let you go. You hoped that acting was enough to get him off of your back. You wanted to be left alone… You were never good in 'groups' of people, let alone reapers.

As you walked across the bridge that led to the Grand Library, settled on its own little island cliff, away from the rest of the buildings with two bridges leading to this island, one from the main center where the official departments lay and the campus so students can make their way to the library easily, you glanced over the edge in a bit of a trance. You wondered if this realm was actually in the heavens, but you doubted it. It seemed that the waters trickled down a soft current before plunging over the side, falling into a vast unknown. Your mind began to think about the purpose of this river and why it felt so… familiar and comforting, but you quickly shook your head, snorting and moving away from the railing, quickly making your way to the library.

Your senses have slowly heightened the longer you've lingered in this realm. As a grim reaper it takes time for new supernatural abilities to take hold, after all you used to become exhausted walking into town and back and now you can walk with ease, but you learned with your brother that your abilities aren't exactly… normal. You have been developing powers that you haven't heard any other reaper learning. While your memories of the human past have been traumatizing you ever since you woke up to this new life, you've also had memories of different pasts, you have come to think about it, about humans, reapers… whatever along with voices. The voices… their whispers are beginning to intensify for your lack of listening. You've been brushing them off and now you sense something is watching you from afar… and you don't like it one bit.

You may have not had good clearance before, but truly you were afraid. You wondered if any reaper had this problem before and you hoped you weren't breaking any rules by hearing the spirits, at least. You wondered what these spirits are. Are they friend… or foe? You had no idea. Eventually you've grown accustomed to accepting things that aren't in your control, to let these voices talk and you ignoring it, but now that you had no more excuses you **had** to make your way to the library. You did say you were going to study… though honestly you've spent countless hours reading through Alexander's textbooks and notes. You could probably take an exam and ace it if you tried without studying, right now, but now that you spent your entire day at the academy you'll have to study after classes as well. How tedious…

Oddly enough a lot of what was being said made sense to you. You completely understood why things have to be so while other students seem to be struggling with the same material. Did your brother struggle in the same way or did he understand death the way you seem to? Mental triggers in your brain were telling you to truth. Some things you are being taught are inaccurate and false, other subjects make complete sense… and you can't figure out why that is.

You had a horrible sinking feeling that coming to the library will indeed solve some of these questions you hold, but then again you were afraid of what was to come once you stepped inside. You had a dread that if you do go inside you will never be the same again. You will change somehow… and you weren't looking forward to that. You must have looked strange standing in front of the double doors, looking up at the vast white old building as if you were awe. You were actually frightened to your core for a reason you didn't quite understand, but… you had to move forward. So you took a step inside, never looking back as you moved deeper into the large Grand Library.

)(*&^%$# !

"Thank you ma'am," you spoke with a polite smile, something that's been trained into you since birth. You learned to be quite compliant with others, but now as your brother you also had to hold some authority, hold your head up high as if you had every right to be in the library.

With permission from the receptionist you walked down to the second floor, restricted for any average grim reaper and permissible for students, and you found a nice desk in a far off corner to sit at. Now it was time to wait… Hmm… You slowly pulled out a notebook you had used to write down all the classes and notes of the day, glad you had taken the free time your brother had to get over his sister's death to go through his personal belongings, finding his notes and other items. Alex didn't gather much over the span the two of you had been here, but he did have some trinkets you were reluctant in throwing away. Also there was your own stuff. Should you keep a few things just in case you need to dress up like a woman again? You weren't quite sure… but you certainly planned on being your brother as much as you can and over time slowly reverting back to your normal self… if you were a guy.

You smiled to yourself as you thought about the past. You recalled the times you would impersonate your brother and he you. You would both wear hats to disguise the difference in hare lengths and waltz around the town you lived in, personating him and playing tricks on others. It was the most fun you could ever have with the life you led as a human. Back then it was even worse to be a girl. Your father despised you since his wife died giving birth to the two of you, and honestly you had no idea if Alex was the first born or not. He just said that he was. You had to obediently obey, without questions, and you knew quite well he would let you die if you were lost or forgotten somewhere. In fact… the whole point of your death was to escape that reality of selling you off. Your brother took his life as well to escape it, but in essence the one that your father wanted to die was you. You were frightened back then and you would have never committed suicide if your brother hadn't been there to drink the poison with you. You honestly thought he just wanted you dead as well, that your brother was always hiding the fact that he hated you like your father, that he wanted you to die so he could be the only one alive, but… after everything that happened… and waking up as a reaper beside him, you realized that he actually loved you. He sacrificed his life, even though you were the one who sinned, to be by your side even in death. If that wasn't signs of a loving brother you don't know what is.

However you would have never thought about taking your life if it hadn't been for that… incident. That's why you were afraid of sleeping and waking up due to nightmares. You were afraid one of those nightmares will become your reality, by sleep walking and committing murder without your mind realizing it… until you wake up and notice your bloody hands. You killed at least seven people in their sleep and you knew if you didn't get out of this you'll keep killing. You didn't want to, you felt compelled to, and you knew your father would never go to a priest for an exorcism. He is the reason a demon from hell was controlling you in the first place. Perhaps deep down, you worried, you wanted those people dead… which are why you feared your own actions. You couldn't be sure if this was all in your head or this was really real.

You suddenly looked up, feeling a familiar chill in the air. You glanced around, quickly putting your notes back into your bag, and you noticed the visible tables with reapers sitting at them was becoming hazy… as if they were merely a shadow or perhaps on the other side of a glass window. You quickly stood up, readying yourself both physically and mentally for a confrontation, and you wanted your questions answered. That's the only reason why you came here.

What you saw caused you to put down your guard, but only slightly.

It was out of a fairytale, what you used to think a grim reaper looked like when you were a child listening to what other children said. A hooded figure stood before you, cloaked in darkness, nothing that could be seen except for dark leering green bright eyes. Green? Wait, you thought it was supposed to be red, but if it was red you would have every reason to worry about this figure before you. What was this thing?

"… _Aren't you a clueless child,"_ the spirit seemed to say in amusement and you swore it was grinning at you, causing your eyes to narrow and a snarl to leave your breath. _"H-hey now. No need to get snippy! I'm here to help. You seek questions?"_

You blinked, confused, taking a couple cautious steps forward, but you still kept one hand on the desk and another hand cautiously behind you, reaching for a hidden blade you knew wouldn't do damage, but you felt a tad of protection and safeness if you had it on you. "… Yes, but more importantly, what are you and why do I keep hearing strange voices? Is it you? –"

" _No,"_ the spirit chuckled as if it was amused. You were getting rather angry for being laughed at, but then again what exactly can you do? You know nothing of what this creature is and if it's going to harm you or not. _"It is not_ _ **I~**_ _that was contacting you, but my superiors."_

"Superiors? –"

" _It shall be explained momentarily. I'm just a messenger here,"_ the spirit snorted, thinking to itself before glancing at you, and you honestly felt your entire being growing cold as it studied you with leering eyes you could not see. _"… You… know nothing of what is going on? Has the living honestly stopped teaching the great important mysteries of our existence?"_

"I-I… I don't know… I just… started taking classes," you stated, honestly. Why were you being so honest to a ghost?

The spirit seemed to be smirking once again and you backed away as it outstretched a hand, a bony hand… a skeletal hand. _"You seek answers. We shall give it to you, but you must take the step forward. If not there is nothing we can do for you."_

" _Child."_

"W-who was that?! –"

" _You must be going mad,"_ the spirit snickered at your dismay and worried expression. Wait. Did it hear that voice too?! _"You'll lose your head if you don't come with me… Though I won't force you. It has to be your decision, your free will."_

"Fine," you huffed, hesitantly reaching out your hand. "… I came here for answers and… I will get it somehow," you continued, forcing yourself to take the outstretched hand.

Your eyes widened in shock as you felt a pain shoot up your arm, a cry leaving your breath that you assumed echoed eerily through the library, and you felt a horrible terror coursing through your veins, your blood turning cold, your humanly death flashing before your eyes before your eyes closed and your mind went blank.

)(*&^%$# !

Slowly you regained your sight, a tired groan leaving your breath as you felt your brain going through hell. It took you a few moments of blinking to realize the reason you couldn't see was because you were in a pitch black room. Oddly enough the more you blinked the better your eyesight became. You noticed shadows upon the wall and you slowly sat up, holding your head while you looked around, freezing in place at what you sensed.

Spirits. They were watching you.

Clothed in darkness ghosts loomed around you in a circle, trapping you in a confined room. You didn't notice a door or a way out. It's as if you were placed in some completely new dimension without any sort of escape. You slowly stood up, reaching up to realize your glasses weren't on your face, but how could you see so clearly? This doesn't make sense –

" _We have heard your questions, child,"_ you heard a voice and snapped your head to the sound, only noticing it was a spirit clothed in the same manner as that 'messenger', a black cloak with only a piercing glow, though you couldn't tell what sort of color this spirit had.

" _We sense your pain,"_ you heard a new voice, but all the voices seemed… ominous and deep, eerie and creepy that sent a chill down your spine.

" _We have come to clarify this confusion –"_

"How could you know my questions? And what are you? Are you the council? Don't tell me you're the council and I'm in trouble," you gulped, but you heard an amused laughter coming from one of the voices, but it still felt too eerie to give any sort of angry rise from you.

" _No child,"_ you heard a spirit respond.

" _At least… not the_ _ **'council'**_ _you are thinking of,"_ you heard from another, but that didn't stop you from feeling suspicious.

" _We are the dead,"_ an authoritative voice spoke, though all the voices seemed authoritative, now that you think about it. _"We are dead death bringers, resting within this Grand Library for its own protection."_

" _It matters not if you've learned or believe in us. Father Death is the one who entrusted us with the task of protecting this sect of living grim reapers."_

" _You will learn with time what we are."_

" _You already know what we are, deep in your soul. You just haven't discovered what to think yet."_

" _It comes with time and age, but for now you can think of us as… The Council, if you wish."_

" _We aren't necessarily Fates or The Oracle, a gathering of the dead. Whatever you wish to call us, it's up to you."_

"… I-I'm… I'd get confused if I called you a council," you spoke simply, though the name oddly made some sense to you.

" _Your current council of this sect, within what you call the Grim Reaper Association, is based off of us."_

" _Thirteen members reside in the council."_

" _Though it seems in this sect fifteen members reside in that council… Which is strange."_

" _Regardless, it's best for mundane children to not know we exist."_

" _We exist for living death bringers like yourself, to help guide you along the right path."_

" _Your choices in life are all your own, but we'll certainly help if the situation calls for advice."_

"… Okay," you responded, reluctantly. You were utterly confused, but you'll just listen to what these spirits are saying. After all you are getting some questions answered, you supposed. "But… most importantly, I want to know –"

" _What you are?"_

" _Why are you here?"_

" _Why are you different?"_

"Yes," you answered with a snort and you noticed one of the voices was smirking at you, you thought to yourself. Are they going to actually let you name them however you want? How odd…

"… _Your kind used to populate the earth, in a sense."_

" _You're a strain of death bringers that are both great and powerful."_

" _However you are still in a weak state. It would be unfortunate if you were to die by the clutches of devils or angels, or even your own kind."_

" _Or you think of them as_ _ **your**_ _kind."_

"… _Child of Death. That is the best way to describe what you are, with a title."_

" _Death bringers used to simply be chosen by the great Creator that lets us linger, Death, but over time mortals began to appear among this strong group of individuals."_

" _You know that death bringers are mortals that committed suicide and given a new chance to live."_

" _As the undead."_

" _However, particular mortals are given powers to help with the job of harvesting the dead."_

" _It is done to combat the growing threats to souls."_

" _Those devils, angels… twisted souls of the demons. Those 'ike."_

" _Your reasons for existing will become clear with time. You will start to undergo great changes to the ones you've already begun to experience."_

" _To make this simple, Father Death chose you for greater things. Our Creator, or rather Father, gave you extraordinary powers for a reason."_

" _That reason will become clear, to you. We do not know what you may become."_

" _But Father knows. He knows your fate in a way we cannot predict."_

" _However we have been charged with the task of keeping you out of harm's way."_

" _Like any reaper, you were once a human soul. While warped to become the bringer of death you are now, you are still a human soul at its core."_

" _Demons are thirsty for such spiritual flesh, which is why Father has created a place for his children to linger, out of danger."_

" _That doesn't stop these soul eaters to make their way into the living realm. It doesn't keep them out in the same way the afterlife with Death provides, since this is still a living space."_

" _Thus demons will realize that you are a powerful soul compared to others, but weak in your own knowledge and personal intuitions."_

" _These eaters will start to seek you out and try to devour you, since you smell so tasty to them."_

" _So while you are gaining your strength and growing into your own, you must trust us and we shall help guide you."_

" _When necessary."_

" _As time grows on you will realize just how different you are."_

" _Hopefully your_ _ **'council'**_ _will never found out they have a hatchling in their mist."_

" _But they may, which is why we must be cautious."_

" _They are unpredictable and could do anything from giving you praise to throwing you into their prison to attempting to destroy you."_

"… _Since you do not have a living mentor around to teach you the ways."_

" _You must learn on your own and hope you'll eventually come across your own sort of kind."_

" _It may happen, it may not."_

" _But we are solitary creatures, at our essence. Being together in communities is a humanly function, not a harvester of the dying function."_

" _Thus we will bestow upon you what would normally be created for you by your mentor."_

" _If one chooses you perhaps your training style may change."_

" _But for now you can only rely on us and your own wits."_

" _Every other day, perhaps every week, you shall be given reading material, since we cannot physically mentor you."_

" _With that material you will become accustomed to the true ways of being Death's children."_

" _With those skills you will be able to take on many complicated matters that your mundane kind wouldn't be able to imagine."_

" _But this takes time, much time. There is a reason why you are called 'fletching' as a student until you become 'full fledge shinigami'."_

" _We will guide you, but that is all we can do in this state."_

" _Now child… hold out your hand."_

" _With this item your powers will be unseen by all."_

" _Until you are able to hide your own powers from view yourself."_

You gave them all a confused stare, glancing around you while you felt dizzy at trying to keep up with the voices, but… to have an actual mentor. That sounded like a dream, a nice dream. If everything they say is true you could end up dying in the same manner your brother did, if not worse. You already know you're different, but… **this** different? You don't want to accept it, but… this could all be a dream. Even if it isn't a dream you didn't want to believe it.

However… you wanted to live long enough to save your brother's soul and will stop at nothing to get there. You can't have your life cut short. Plus… to have more power… and to become stronger in a way you could never imagine… sounds oddly great. You may end up apart from others, more than you already are, but… you felt content with that. Maybe you can actually do something with your life and never have to rely on others again.

A fond smile appeared on your face. This could confuse anyone and you should certainly be cautious about this, but… then again you felt a will inside of you to do this, the same feeling you've always felt when you thought about being an officer, reaping souls. It was in your very bloodstream and you couldn't stop the feeling. You'll regret it if you don't take this chance.

So… you held out a hand, closing your eyes since you had a feeling you should. You felt the world spinning around you, a strange surge of power seeping through you, but instead of pain you felt comfort… joy… satisfaction. You weren't scared anymore. Everything was replaced with a joy you have never experienced before, and as you fell deeper into the darkness of your mind you enjoyed the strange abyss you embraced with open arms.


End file.
